Guess who’s back.

Day 351 of 365

If you have been following my blog for awhile, you know that I fell in love with the Eastern Phoebes who moved in by our deck last summer. I wrote about them many times, and I spent some time over the winter researching about them. I also spent the whole winter looking at their nest with hope.

I have to qualify right now that, as of yet, the Phoebes aren’t nesting in their nest. It’s too early, but I am hopeful because they are around and very close to the house. In fact, one morning, when Ron opened the curtains, one was fluttering outside our bedroom window. I am still not sure what that was about, but I hear them singing every single morning. I love the fee-bee, fee-bee, fee-bee. If they don’t come back to the nest this summer, can you imagine how sad I’m going to be? Ron even ordered a nest cam for me for my birthday. I need those sweet birds to raise their babies in that nest.

It seems to be in good shape. They built it under the eave, so it’s definitely good for another round of family raising. It would be a shame to waste a good nest, don’t you think? I hope the Phoebes agree.

I have this dream of writing a children’s book about our Eastern Phoebes, but in my mind, I need them to move back into their nest in order to have the perfect ending to the book. We’ll see. We’ll see if I even finish the book. I have three or four writing projects that have developed out of this blog, but I am very slow. It will take me at least a year or two to finish even one of them. Good writing takes so much revision, and revision takes time, and I am pretty busy cooking food, doctoring duck heads, tracking down chickens, and the like.

Anyway, I have to share that I received the most perfect Eastern Phoebe gift from a reader. Her husband is a photographer, and she had this photo put on canvas for me. I made a space for it on my “nature shelf” in our living room. On this shelf, I have nests I have found on the ground, special rocks, and photos Ron took of the wildlife we have had visit us by our house. It’s such a magnificent gift, and I am so grateful. What a beautiful, beautiful gift!

I also have to share a little side story. When I was so sick last month, at my last doctor’s visit, I finally got some help that made me hopeful I was going to be okay. The doctor seemed smart and treated me with respect and offered advice that seemed right to me.

When I walked out of that doctor’s office, after nearly two weeks of worry and feeling a little scared, I felt some positivity growing in my heart. And, then I heard it. From the trees above me, the first call I had heard since last summer–fee-bee, fee-bee, fee-bee.